Looking for a way to get involved at Iowa State but aren’t sure how? Intramurals are a great way to meet new people with the same interests as you and get some exercise at the same time.

Iowa State Recreation Services is planning to have plenty of intramural sports for students to get involved in this fall. 

They published a press release that lists the intramural sports offered for the fall. 

These sports include four-on-four sand and indoor volleyball, the 3-point contest, nine-ball pool, badminton (singles and/or doubles), bag toss, bowling, curling, disc golf, esports, the IM Trivia Challenge (virtually) mini golf, pickleball (singles), softball, table tennis (singles and/or doubles) and tennis (singles and/or doubles). 

According to the press release, “Sport Club plans are currently under review and will be announced prior to the start of the semester.”

The use of face coverings and social and physical distancing is expected to be followed as well as all Rec Services building policies. 

“Participants are strongly encouraged to wear face coverings and practice social/physical distancing before and after outdoor competitions, as well as during play to the extent that it is possible,” according to the release.

“Activities not located in or on Rec Services property (such as the Memorial Union, Perfect Games, Ice Arena, etc.) will follow location-specific guidelines,” according to the release.

Virtually anyone can play intramural sports at Iowa State. As long as you paid the activity fee and are a student, you should be good to go. Nonstudents are also eligible to play as long as they pay for a membership.

So how do you sign up? 

Well, it’s fairly easy. Start by going to the intramurals page on the Rec Services website at https://www.recservices.iastate.edu/im/. From there, you choose the sport you want to sign up for and enter your information.

You can sign up with a team or sign up on your own. Residence halls, fraternities and sororities will all have a Recreation Services manager who can help residents sign up. 

“Independent groups and organizations should select an individual to be responsible for linking the Intramural Sports program and the group they represent,” according to the FAQ page on the website. 

You also must register online; entries are not allowed by phone.

No team? No problem.

You can still participate in intramurals and register as a free agent instead.

When you sign up for your chosen sport, say you are a free agent and your name will be accessible for other individuals and team captains looking for extra players to add to their team. 

Once you register, either by team or individually and then get a team, the team captain will receive an email for dates and times when you say you are available to play and from there, the schedule is created. 

You typically will play games and then play in a tournament to determine a champion. The team who wins the tournament will get intramural champions T-shirts for each player who played in two or more games (for team sports).

Whether you’re looking to meet some new friends who like the same things as you or are just looking to get involved in something, intramural sports is the way to go.